"This neighborhood has seen a lot of violence," St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told officers during roll call Wednesday morning. "It’s seen a lot of shootings. It’s seen a lot of retaliatory shootings and it’s seen its fair share of homicides. So as you’re going about it I want you to be safe."

Since Jan. 1, eight people have been killed in the neighborhood, where total crime is up about 11 percent.